A/N: Well, friends, we've reached the end of this journey. I want to thank each and every one of you who has read/reviewed/followed/favorited throughout the course of this story. It was my first attempt at multichapter writing in years, and I couldn't be more grateful for the love and support you offered me and this story. Special shout-outs to MayAnderson19, StrawberrySab, OnlyYouForever, AWPuRpLePoPtArT, and guategal. You five have been with me consistently from the beginning and I can't thank you enough for it. :)
This story was my "fix-it" fic and the first thing I wrote post-5.15. It could theoretically go on forever, because this is my ideal universe for Will and Alicia. But I've chosen to keep this my "fix-it" fic and revisit this universe in other stories. So, even though this chapter might be the end of this particular story, it's definitely not the end of Will and Alicia's story.
I should also note that I still don't own these characters, because if I did, this would have happened on the show and we wouldn't have to live in denial-land. But since I don't, denial-land sounds like a nice place to stay.
Thank you all, again, so very much.
Some of the longest five seconds of Alicia's life occur right after she asks Will Gardner to marry her, and right before Will responds with seven words she wasn't expecting to hear.
"I have a funny story for you," he says, with an impish grin, and Alicia can't believe he thinks this is an appropriate time for a freaking story. She wants to tell him this and force him to answer her damn question, but in true Will Gardner style, he barrels on with this so-called funny story. "Pick up your phone, please."
Alicia does as he has asked.
"There should be a voicemail from me. From yesterday."
Alicia's right hand flies up to cover her mouth as she taps her left index finger on the voicemail button and sees "Will Gardner: Mobile: 11:32am."
These could have been the last words I ever heard from Will.
She tries to choke back her tears, and Will reaches for her. "Hey. Hey," he says. "This is a funny story. Not a sad story."
"You could have died," she whispers, staring at the phone, refusing to believe this voicemail is real. "You could have died and the last words I heard from you could have been this."
"Just listen to it, please," he pleads with her, so she lifts the phone to her ear.
"Alicia." And then there's some shuffling, some mumbled words in the background. "Hold on, Your Honor. I'll call you back."
She removes the phone from her ear and stares at Will. "You were going to call me back."
He nods. "I was. As soon as court was over, I was going to call you back. Do you want to know what the voicemail should have said?"
Alicia nods, and Will squeezes her hand.
"Alicia, I'm sorry. I want what we had. I want to be with you, and only you, forever. Call me back, please."
Will is smiling, his eyes glassy with tears, and Alicia is trying to smile through her tears, unable to really comprehend what's happening.
"And do you know what else I wanted to say to you?"
Alicia shakes her head.
"I wanted to ask you if you would marry me," he says, a wide, boyish smile appearing on his face. "But I didn't really think that was the kind of thing you asked someone over a voicemail," he adds, and Alicia buries her face into the bed beside him, letting the white sheet soak up her tears.
Will nudges his fingers beneath her chin and tilts her head up toward him. He's smiling, and she can't help but smile back. "Now do you see why it was a funny story?" he asks.
(She does.)
Alicia laughs, out of nervousness and emotional exhaustion. These two lives, that for twenty-something years have always managed to find a way to intersect, to collide, but never at the right time or place, have arrived at this point, right here, in an ICU room on the sixth floor of the University of Illinois Medical Center. Bad timing, heartache, missed chances, foolish mistakes, all of that-is gone. Forever.
"I love it when you laugh," he whispers, and she stands up so she can kiss him.
Will feels Alicia smile against his lips, and he pulls back just slightly so he can see the look in her eyes.
"The answer to your question is yes, by the way."
"...yes?" she repeats, unable to believe what he's just said.
"Yes. On one condition," he adds, and he sees Alicia's face change from an expression of joy to one of concern. "It's nothing bad."
"Okay..." she says slowly.
"Let me do it right. Let me date you and charm the pants off of you. Let me propose to you, on one knee, with a ring, the whole nine yards, because that's what you deserve, and I want to give you everything."
Alicia exhales and wipes away the tears with the back of her hand. "William Paul Gardner, nothing in the world would make me happier."
"Good," Will says firmly. "Because nothing in the world would make me happier."
She sniffles. "You know, I'm pretty sure no person has ever made me cry so damn much in a 24-hour period."
He smiles. "Well, I plan on spending the rest of my life making sure you smile as much as possible and cry as little as possible, okay?"
"Okay," she agrees, and he takes her face in his hands and kisses her.
A year and a half later-541 days, to be exact-it's September 1st, 2015.
Will wakes at 5:30 in the morning, roughly 45 minutes before the sun will rise over Chicago. He turns his alarm off immediately, not wanting to wake Alicia.
He dresses quietly, trading his usual pristine suit for his favorite pair of jeans and a long-sleeved Georgetown t-shirt. He runs his fingers through his hair before throwing an Orioles cap on his head.
He leaves Alicia a note, just in case she wakes before he returns, picks up his keys from the bowl near the door, and rides the elevator downstairs.
He drives on auto-pilot to the Starbucks nearest her apartment and orders two grande pumpkin spice lattes. The barista is thrilled; it's the first day for PSLs, and Will is the first to order one. When the drinks are piping hot and ready, he sticks two green plastic stoppers in the cups and takes them out to his car.
When he returns to her apartment, he tosses his baseball cap on the counter and nudges the door to the bedroom open with his shoulder. Alicia's still sleeping, in roughly the same position she'd been when he left about half an hour ago.
Will smiles to himself; this is about to become the best day of his life, not just his third favorite day of the year.
Removing the green plastic stopper from one of the cups, he kneels down next to the bed so the cup is level with her pillow. Alicia stirs, inhaling the scents of cinnamon and nutmeg rising with the steam from the cup. A smile appears on her face before she even opens her eyes.
"It's September first," he whispers happily, and she opens her eyes to find Will kneeling next to the bed, holding a Starbucks cup full of pumpkin spice latte.
"It's September first," she repeats, smiling, as she reaches her hand out to accept the latte. And then she realizes what's sitting on top of the cup and her hand freezes.
A silver, sparkling diamond ring.
"Five-hundred and forty-two days ago, I got shot in a courtroom," Will begins. "And five-hundred and forty-one days ago, you asked me to marry you in a hospital room. I said yes-of course I said yes-but on one condition. And that condition was that you would allow me to date you and charm the pants off of you. That you would let me propose to you, on one knee, with a ring, the whole nine yards, because that's what you deserved, and I wanted to give you everything."
Alicia nods tearfully.
"So, after a few months, when I had recovered and you'd gotten your affairs in order, I took you out on dates. I didn't let you pay for dinner. I sent flowers to your office. I made you pancakes on Sunday mornings and ate pizza with you on Friday nights. I got to know Grace and Zach and learned what a wonderful job you did raising them. I sat through dinners with the interrogation squad, also known as your mother and Owen, and was told I successfully passed the 'good enough for my sister/daughter' test. I got to to show you how much I loved you every single day, from the time you woke up in the morning to the time you fell asleep in my arms. So I guess the first question I have is: did I successfully charm the pants off of you?"
She giggles and nods in assent.
"Good. Now I have another question for you."
"Go for it," she says tearfully, echoing his words from a year and a half ago.
"Will you marry me?" Will asks, picking up the ring and holding it in front of her.
"Yes," Alicia says, and offers him her left hand. He slips the ring on her finger and sets the latte on the nightstand before tumbling back into bed and kissing her.
Alicia finds herself falling headfirst into a third reality, one she hadn't previously considered.
The one where she and William Paul Gardner get to be together.
Forever.
Fin.